Underground Tour Lights Up with LEDs

Underground Tour Lights Up with LEDs

For decades the Seattle Underground Tour was lit with incandescent lamps. This increased energy costs and dimmed the tour experience for customers. Seattle City Light helped the Tour replace over 200 incandescent lights with energy-efficient LEDs. This simple change saves more than $2600 a year, and makes the underground tour brighter and more appealing.

Popular sightseeing attraction saves more than $2,600, while encouraging visitors to spend at the gift shop.

For decades, Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour had relied on incandescent lamps. The outdated technology not only increased energy costs, it dimmed the overall experience for visitors. The use of incandescent lamps also raised the ambient temperatures in the gift shop and business office, forcing the air conditioning system to work harder.

Business Manager Patrick Witt worked with independent lighting contractor LYT-FX to take advantage of advanced LED technology. The Underground Tour also took advantage of a rebate from Seattle City Light, which helped pay for 75% of the project’s cost.

ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND TOUR

Located in Pioneer Square

Opened to the public in 1965

Tours conducted daily

Three city blocks of underground passageways

PROJECT SCOPE

Replace 243 incandescent lamps with LEDs in the passageways, gift shop and business office

RESULTS

Estimated energy savings: 37,996 kWh per year

Estimated cost savings: $2,637 per year

More appealing tour for visitors

Enhanced work environment for staff

“Seattle City Light offers an amazing program with amazing savings. It’s a real no brainer for any business.”

PATRICK WITT
Business Manager, Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour

LED technology

Today’s advanced LEDs are fast replacing incandescent, halogen and high-output fluorescent lamps. Though LEDs have been around for more than 40 years, contin-uous improvements in longevity, light quality, and pricing make this energy-efficient technology a great choice for retrofit projects.

Rebates for energy conservation

Seattle City Light offers rebates as an incentive to customers to reduce their electricity use. When customers use less electricity, it helps us conserve our hydro resources and avoid the expense of building new power plants or buying electricity on the open market.

Start saving now

Like the Underground Tour, your business could also benefit from Seattle City Light’s rebates for upgrades to energy-saving lighting and equipment. Learn how you can lower your energy costs. Contact an Business Energy Advisor for a free assessment.